The present invention relates to a collection container for heat exchangers, and in particular for refrigerant condensers of a motor vehicle, as well as to a heat exchanger that is preferably constructed as a refrigerant condenser of a motor vehicle. Refrigerant condensers for motor vehicles are known, as are collection containers for such refrigerant condensers.
Standardly, such refrigerant condensers have two headers as well as a pipe-fin block situated therebetween. Both ends of the pipes of the pipe-fin block debouch in one of the two headers, so that a refrigerant connection is created between the headers.
In addition, they have a collection container situated adjacent to one of the headers, in which a dryer is situated that is made up for example of a dryer cartridge and a filter. The dryer can extract liquid (water) from the refrigerant, and the filter cleans the refrigerant of particles that can enter into the refrigerant due for example to wear or the like. One of the two headers and the collection container are connected via two overflow openings or ducts. Via one of these overflow ducts, refrigerant can flow from the header into the collection container, and via the other overflow opening it can flow back. Both of these overflow openings are situated in the lower end area of the collection container. A pipe that forms a jacket wall of the collection container has a constant inner diameter as well as a constant outer diameter, or a constant inner circumference and a constant outer circumference, seen in cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.
The collection container has essentially the same length as the adjacent header.
From U.S. Pat. No. 5,546,761, a heat exchanger is known in which the collection container is shorter than the adjacent header. Here, the collection container has an essentially constant inner diameter and outer diameter.